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History of Tourr
Beginning as a fledgling civilization at the inner edges of the Rasq system, Tourri society has since conquered all nearby planets. The rise of this Imperium is subject to much historical study. =Prehistoric Times= The Primordial Peoples In the 200s BIE, archeological excavators discovered a number of ancient, technologically sophisticated settlements submerged in the sands far north of the Drarhour River Valley. Subsequent analysis demonstrated the remains as dating approximately 30,000 BIE. Rather than constituting a vast city, these camps seemed to be limited offworld colonies of some human society, perhaps holding 1,000 persons in total. In 167 BIE, the digital files found within the settlements were recovered from their damaged state, revealing that humanity originated from another planet and, in an attempt to propagate itself throughout the universe, sent robotic slower-than-light probes with human genetic material to other star systems. Upon arriving at a planet, automated biotech systems would reconstruct humans from the DNA material, while robots would establish a primitive settlement that could be expanded. This explained why the fossil record did not indicate that humans evolved on Tourr; the origin of humanity was on a different stellar system. Ironically, if the purpose of these settlements in other star systems was to ensure the survival of humanity in the event of a cataclysm, a gamma-ray burst from star WR-104 damaged the electronics and technological systems on Tourr, while killing much biological life, and the human survivors likely escaped to live in the vast planetary wilderness. Early Migrations After the surviving primordial peoples left the damaged ruins of the former colonies, the local plant life served suitably for providing sustenance. One of the early criticisms of the Foreign Origins hypothesis, positing humanity's origin on a separate star system, was the projected inhospitablity of an alien environment to humans. However, research by theoretical biologists has concluded that broadly similar forms of plant life, containing carbohydrates and certain minerals, would usually evolve under similar planetary conditions; furthermore, most of this biological matter would be edible to newly settled humans, as the local organisms had not yet evolved defense systems (e.g., poisons) against human consumption. Thus, the primordials were able to survive by consuming the plants, and many probably learned to hunt animals as well. Following the seasonal weather patterns, these early humans participated in great migrations across the continents. Starting with a population of perhaps only 50 individuals, these people expanded from the deserts approximately 250 miles north of the Drarhour River. One group traveled south, traveling past the river, and by 20,000 BIE ultimately inhabiting the coasts at the far south of the Bradhou continent, possibly consuming sea life. Another group pushed northward, passing the Ta'n River by 15,000 BIE, with some people inhabiting the vast northern wastes of Bradou, hunting and consuming the life in the great permafrosts, by 12,000 BIE. Crossing the great land bridge existing during these cold times, some of these northern tribes migrated into Trhonou, which had a thriving population by 10,000 BIE. Agricultural Revolution The great Warming Period in 8,000 BIE greatly increased the hospitability of the planetary environment to plant life. Soon thereafter, humans on Tourr actually began cultivating plants themselves, gradually transitioning from a hunting-and-gathering society to one based upon agriculture. By 7,000 BIE, some local animals were domesticated and bred, for use as food, or as a source of agricultural labor. The tribes in the south of Bradou--that would become the Narhour--generally cultivated sea plants, and coastal vegetation, and engaged in a great deal of fishing. Some of these tribes, however, lived in the deserts surrounding the Drarhour River, and began cultivating desert plants. The tribes north of Ta'n learned to grow the low-lying vegetation in the vast river plains, while the Trhonou tribes began to utilize a variety of agricultural methods circa 5,500 BIE. =Pre-Imperial History= Dawn of Narhour Civilization As the southern tribes of Bradou began utilizing large quantities of agriculture, these peoples gradually migrated northward to the Drarhour River Valley, which possessed a vast amount of fertile land. Beginning in approximately 6,000 BIE, these migrations led to a prosperous network of farmer villages around Drarhour by 5,000 BIE. Some of these settlements would grow into full-fledged towns, and even small cities, as the growth in agriculture progressed. Nonetheless, the continuing growth in farming production required a reliable access to water, which eventually even the fertile lands were unable to provide. By approximately 4,500 BIE, the River settlements united to construct irrigation infrastructure. To support the economic and political administration that resulted, an intricate writing system based on a common alphabet was developed by 4,000 BIE. According to legend, a leader named Xijour united the Drarhour towns and settlements, pushing them to cooperate in building irrigation networks. Supposedly, he was the founder of the Narhour Empire, which would last until Emperor Zaal. Xijour is said to have established the city of Barq, the prosperous capital of the Empire. Followers of the Xijhour faith believe that Xijour is the most powerful god among a pantheon of deities. Early History of the Gaoroqou While the Narhour tribes settled in the fertile valleys surrounding the Drarhour River, the northern peoples of Bradou moved southward to settle in the vast plains surrounding the Ta'n River. These plains offered low-lying vegetation, which became the staple of the Gaoroqou diet. While the valleys of Drarhour were surrounded by desert, Ta'n instead saw hundreds of miles of grassland in all directions. By about 3,500 BIE, hundreds of farmer villages and towns existed in Ta'n, embracing trade and a common culture that would define the Gaoroqou ethnicity. However, unlike the Narhour, the northern peoples failed to unify into a single political administration, and thus were unable to establish large-scale irrigation and flood control projects. Nonetheless, around 3,000 BIE, the Gaoroqou did develop a complex writing system, based on symbolic pictures. Society of the Trhonou Beginning around 5,500 BIE, the tribes of the Trhonou continent began using a variety of agricultural techniques. Some peoples in the central part of the continent began settling in the plains surrounding the great Rhoou River, which offered vast fertile lands. However, much like the Gaoroqou, the farming settlements surrounding the River never developed into a single political administration. Unlike the expanding societies in Bradou, however, the Trhonou never developed a writing system. Narhour Expansion Across Bradou The Narhour Empire developed bronze weapons in 4,000 BIE, allowing its military to consolidate control of all the remaining villages and towns surrounding the Drarhour River, that had not yet assimilated under centralized rule. Using its writing system, as well as access to metal weapons, the Empire expanded to unify all the Narhour peoples of southern Bradou throughout the fourth millenium BIE. Numerous historical records exist of this time period. In 3,000 BIE, the Narhour developed iron weaponry, and harnessed the military applications of the Xikyq, a large flying reptile flourishing in the Drarhour plains. These technological developments allowed the Empire to expand northward, capturing the farming settlements along the Ta'n River. By 2,800 BIE, most of the Gaoroquo were conquered through these Pacification campaigns. Many Narhour nationalists have drawn analogies between the Assimilation Wars and these early conflicts. The enormous amount of taxes and tribute flowing to Barq during this time made the city a prosperous cultural and economic center. Protection of long-distance trade routes by the Narhour rulers established strong economic growth across the Bradou continent. Rodou Exploration and Conquest of the Trhonou As the Narhour Empire grew increasingly wealthy and prosperous, naval exploration across the vast Rodou ocean was sponsored. Developments in maritime engineering, particularly in simple navigation utilizing Tourr's planetary magnetic fields, as well as astronomical measurements, allowed an "Age of Sail" to emerge. Beginning around 1,500 BIE, Narhour explorers discovered islands throughout the Rodou ocean. By 1,300 BIE, the continent of Trhonou was discovered by an Imperial-sponsored survey team. During the remaining part of the second millenium BIE, various minerals, spices, and luxury items from the coasts of Trhonou were passed through the hands of Narhour traders, benefitting the millenia-old economy of Barq. The routes sailed and traversed by these merchants have been dubbed by historians as the "spice road". This trans-continental commerce intensified over the centuries, supporting the Narhour rulers through tariff revenue. A slave trade began to develop around 1,000 BIE. By 800 BIE, the development of primitive cannons and firearms allowed the Narhour Empire the launch a vast conquest of Trhonou, starting along the coasts but gradually working inward. By 600 BIE, much of the continent was under Narhour rule, including the prosperous city-states and villages along the Rhoou River. Taxes and tariffs from the colonies continued to increase the wealth of Barq, which became a city of three million by 500 BIE. The slave trade became essential to the economy, with prisoners of war from the Trhonou Pacification Campaigns supporting the entire agricultural infrastructure. Industrial Revolution The origins of the Tourr Industrial Revolution lie ultimately in the Yui Plague, which killed much of the Narhour's slave and laborer classes. Following the conquest of Trhonou, the Narhour Empire grew to depend upon a vast slave underclass, which performed most agricultural labor, as well as a large base of peasants and manual laborers. For much of human history on the planet, no disease or pathogen had even attacked humans, as the local life did not evolve in concert with Homo Sapiens. However, by 440 BIE, a virus adapted to infect humans, causing invariably fatal acute encephalitis. Transmitted by coughing, the plague rapidly spread across the global Narhour Empire, disproportionately affecting those that lived in unsanitary conditions. By 400 BIE, 80% of the Imperial slave class, and 40% of the peasant class, were dead. To compensate for the lack of human agricultural laborers, and the greatly increased cost of labor, Imperial inventors developed increasingly mechanized labor-saving equipment. In 400 BIE, a group of innovators dispatched by the Narhour Emperor discovered a technique for grinding the seeds of the low-lying vegetation grown in Ta'n; a mill device, operated by one person, could process the food with far less manual labor than previously. Mills were soon implemented in farming villages across the Empire. Soon thereafter, inventors discovered a process to drive the mills through steam generated by burning coal; a perfected prototype was presented to the emperor in 380 BIE. The coal-driven mills were built in food-processing and textile centers in Barq and throughout the farming villages, on a much larger scale to facilitate greater production. By 370 BIE, the great demand for coal was satisfied by making the mines themselves mechanized and steam-driven. In 360 BIE, a prototype steam-driven railway car was created; a railway track was built between two neighborhoods of Barq in 355 BIE. By the 320s, a vast railway network extended across the Empire, powering the expanding industrial production. The discovery of calculus, differential equations, and mechanics in the 380s facilitated the construction of reliable and stable structures, to house the machines. During the 310s, millions of villagers flocked to the cities, and Barq housed nearly ten million by 300 BIE. The lack of manual labor, caused by the Plague, had been solved through mechanization. During the early 200s BIE, electrical infrastructure became established, allowing for communication, more efficient industrial operations, and cleaner transportation. The establishment of nuclear fission plants in the 250s BIE made electrical production more efficient. The development of quantum and atomic theory in the 270s not only allowed for nuclear power, but also caused transistors to be developed. By the 230s, a vast network of transistor-based computers was established. This network grew to become the Global Information Superstructure (GIS) by the early 100s BIE. The 100s BIE Early Expansion into Space =Imperial History= The Assimilation Wars Post-War Rebellion Phase The Great Interplanetary War Civil War Period Two Centuries of Peace